Link State Fast Flood with Computed Multi-Protocol-Label-Switching (MPLS) Broadcast Tree

1. A link state network comprising: a plurality of interconnected nodes; and a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree established amongst at least some of the interconnected nodes, wherein the MPLS tree is associated with an MPLS label, wherein the interconnected nodes are configured to deterministically forward a plurality of replicated link state update (LSU) packets comprising the MPLS label over the MPLS tree, wherein at least one of the interconnected nodes comprise an MPLS nodal control processor and a plurality of interfaces used to link other interconnected nodes, and wherein the MPLS nodal control processor is configured to: replicate a received LSU packet that comprises the MPLS label to produce one or more of the replicated LSU packets; and forward the replicated LSU packets via interfaces that correspond to the MPLS tree without forwarding the packets via interfaces that do not correspond to the MPLS tree.

2. The link state network of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the interconnected nodes further comprise a central processing unit (CPU) that performs interior gateway protocol (IGP) functions, and wherein the replicated LSU packets are deterministically forwarded over the MPLS tree by the MPLS nodal control process.

3. The link state network of claim 2 , wherein the MPLS nodal control processor is further configured to forward at least one of the replicated LSU packets to the CPU.

4. The link state network of claim 3 , wherein the MPLS nodal control processor is further configured to forward the at least one of the replicated LSU packets to the CPU after forwarding the replicated LSU packet via the interfaces that correspond to the MPLS tree.

5. The link state network of claim 1 , wherein the replicated LSU packets are forwarded to all of the interfaces that correspond to the MPLS tree excluding the interface that received the received LSU packet.

6. The link state network of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the interfaces do not correspond to the MPLS tree.

7. A link state network comprising: a plurality of interconnected nodes; and a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree established amongst at least some of the interconnected nodes, wherein the MPLS tree is associated with an MPLS label, wherein the interconnected nodes are configured to deterministically forward a plurality of link state update (LSU) packets comprising the MPLS label over the MPLS tree, wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes comprise: a plurality of neighboring nodes; and a network node coupled directly to a different one of the neighboring nodes via a plurality of links, wherein the MPLS tree is established over a first one of the plurality of links and a second one of the plurality of links, wherein the MPLS tree is not established over a third one of a plurality of links, and wherein the network node comprises an MPLS nodal control processor that is configured to: receive a first one of the LSU packets on the first link; replicate the first LSU packet to produce at least one replicated LSU packet; and forward the replicated LSU packet on the second link without forwarding the first LSU packet or any of the replicated LSU packets over the third link.

8. A link state network comprising: a plurality of interconnected nodes; a root node; at least one leaf node; and a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree established amongst at least some of the interconnected nodes, wherein the MPLS tree is associated with an MPLS label, wherein the interconnected nodes are configured to deterministically forward a plurality of link state update (LSU) packets comprising the MPLS label over the MPLS tree, wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes comprise: a plurality of neighboring nodes; and a network node coupled directly to a different one of the neighboring nodes via a plurality of links, wherein the MPLS tree is established over a first one of the plurality of links and a second one of the plurality of links, wherein the network node is connected to the root node via the first link and to the leaf node via the second link, and wherein the network node is configured to: detect a change in a nodal adjacency pertaining to the network node; generate a first one of the plurality of LSU packets, wherein the first LSU packet describes the change in the nodal adjacency; append the MPLS label to the first LSU packet; and forward the first LSU packet over both the first link and the second link such that the first LSU packet is deterministically forwarded in both directions on the MPLS tree.

9. A network node in a link state network comprising: a plurality of interfaces including a first interface, a second interface, and a third interface, wherein each interface is linked to a different one of a plurality of neighboring nodes in the link state network, and wherein an multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree is configured on the first interface and the second interface, but not on the third interface; and a nodal control processor for performing MPLS functions, wherein the nodal control processor is configured to: replicate a link state update (LSU) packet received on the first interface to produce a plurality of replicated LSU packets; and forward a first one of the replicated LSU packets over the second interface without forwarding any of the replicated LSU packets over the third interface.

10. The network node of claim 9 further comprising a central processing unit (CPU) for performing interior gateway protocol (IGP) functions, wherein the first replicated LSU packet is forwarded over the second interface without being processed by the CPU.

11. The network node of claim 10 , wherein the nodal control processor is further configured to forward a second one of the replicated LSU packets to the CPU for processing, and wherein the first replicated LSU packet is forwarded over the second interface before the second replicated LSU packet is processed by the CPU.

12. The network node of claim 11 , wherein the nodal control processor forwards the first replicated LSU packet over the second interface before forwarding the second LSU packet to the CPU.

13. The network node of claim 11 , wherein the nodal control processor forwards the first replicated LSU packet and the second LSU packet concurrently such that both MPLS forwarding functions are performed at substantially the same time.

14. A method comprising: generating a link state update (LSU) packet describing one or more nodal adjacencies for a node in a link state network, appending a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) label to the LSU packet, wherein the MPLS label identifies an MPLS tree that extends through the link state network; replicating LSU packet to produce one or more replicated LSU packets, wherein each of the LSU packets comprise the MPLS label; and deterministically forwarding the replicated LSU packet over the MPLS tree, wherein the link state network comprises of adjacent nodes coupled to the node via a plurality of links, wherein at least some of the adjacent nodes reside on the MPLS tree, and wherein the replicated LSU packets are forwarded to the adjacent nodes that reside on the MPLS tree without forwarding the LSU packets to the adjacent nodes that do not reside on the MPLS tree.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising generating the LSU packet when a change in a nodal adjacency pertaining is detected by the node, and deterministically forwarding the replicated LSU packets in both directions on the MPLS tree.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the LSU packet is replicated within the node's nodal control processor and not within the node's central control processor (CPU).

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the replicated LSU packets are concurrently forwarded to the adjacent nodes and a central control processor (CPU) within the node.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the LSU packets that comprise the MPLS label are not flooded to all of the adjacent nodes from the node, and wherein at least some of the links are not associated with the MPLS tree.

19. A method comprising: generating a link state update (LSU) packet describing one or more nodal adjacencies in a link state network, wherein the link state network comprises a plurality of nodes, at least some of which reside on a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree extending through the link state network; appending an MPLS label to the LSU packet, wherein the MPLS label is associated with the MPLS tree; and deterministically forwarding the LSU packet over the MPLS tree, wherein the LSU packet is deterministically forwarded throughout the link state network by a plurality of MPLS nodal control processors residing in the nodes, and wherein the MPLS nodal control processors deterministically forward the LSU packet over the MPLS tree without flooding the LSU packet according to an interior gateway protocol (IGP).

20. A method comprising: generating a link state update (LSU) packet describing one or more nodal adjacencies in a link state network, wherein the link state network comprises a plurality of nodes, at least some of which reside on a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree extending through the link state network; appending an MPLS label to the LSU packet, wherein the MPLS label is associated with the MPLS tree; deterministically forwarding the LSU packet over the MPLS tree; generating a second LSU packet; and distributing the second LSU packet throughout the link state network by flooding the second LSU packet amongst the network nodes according to an interior gateway protocol (IGP), wherein the MPLS label is not appended to the second LSU packet.